We all face obstacles in our lives. Is it those hardships that make us who we are or is it how we respond to these difficult times that makes us who we are?

One woman made the journey through that despair and transformed into someone fully alive. Cheryl Strayed wrote about those experiences in her book, "Wild," and it's struck such a chord in people that Oprah Winfrey tapped it as her first choice for the relaunch of her book club.

The tragic blow in Cheryl's life was the sudden death of her mother to cancer when she just in her early 40s and Cheryl was a 22-year-old college senior. Cheryl says her mother was the center of her family and the root of her own life. When she suddenly wasn't there anymore, Cheryl's life started to spin out of control and unravel.

Cheryl decided to turn to the wilderness, a place where she'd always felt most gathered. She started out on an 1,100-mile journey on the Pacific Coast Trail. But Cheryl wasn't an experienced hiker. In fact, the first time she'd ever backpacked was her first night on the trail. She says she quickly realized that both the physical challenges and internal struggles were greater than she imagined.

But along the way, Cheryl says she learned that when we make things most simple, we feel the most alive.

Find out what she also learned about forgiving yourself for your bad choices and why pushing ourselves physically with big challenges like marathons or long hikes makes us feel more human.

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